Statement of SC Magdeburg on the situation “Hallenboden”

In the course of the match against HSG Wetzlar last Sunday in the GETEC Arena, floor stickers had to be partially removed in order to exclude the risk of injury to the players and to ensure that the match was properly conducted.

Managing Director of Handball Magdeburg GmbH, Marc-Henrik Schmedt: “Immediately after the end of the game, we began to discuss the situation together with the floor manufacturer, the arena operator and the contracted service providers. After checking all the information, the lack of adhesion of the eight floor stickers to the left and right of the centre of the pitch is due to a short-term displacement of the floor stickers in connection with the subsequent cleaning of the playing surface too quickly. As a result, liquid could get under the said floor stickers, which then successively lost their adhesion in the course of the match. We have once again had the manufacturer confirm that the newly laid arena floor, the floor sticker material and the cleaning agents used are certified or are used throughout the Handball Bundesliga. Regardless of the fact that the described problem only occurred with the eight floor stickers mentioned, the entire playing surface will be neutralised and re-glued for the next home game. In this respect, we assume that the unsatisfactory events of last Sunday have a one-off character, as the causes are not due to a structural problem, but to one-off handling errors.”